Antique Desks

Antique Desks

Antique Desks

Antique desks are a functional and decorative piece of furniture, a historical writing platform for by-gone communication and a reminder of an age when letter writing was the main means of correspondence. They are practically useful to store pens, paper and books, sometimes-antique desks will have built in bookcases and often they have a large surface area for writing and reading.

Whether you are looking for an antique desk for an academic, professional capacity or for personal use you will find an array to choose from including a flat desk, a roll top desk, a school desk, a lap desk, a ship captain desk, a knee-hole desk, a bookcase dropdown desk, a drafting table, a travel desk, a davenport and escritoire. An antique secretary is slightly different to a desk in the sense it has a fold down flat surface as opposed to a permanent flat surface.

History of the Desk

Illustrations of desks first appeared in medieval times and appear to have been made and used for the purpose of reading and writing. Early desks were often very large and heavy, the structure was big to allow for space when copying books by hand. Integral to the design were slots and hooks, which would have been used for bookmarks and writing paraphernalia. During the Renaissance period desks became smaller in size and drawers featured increasingly as craftsmanship improved. Earlier desks also tended to have sloped tops as they were mainly used in monasteries and universities.

Types of Desk

Antique Roll Top Desk

An antique roll top desk is a worthy investment, as they are in such short supply. Due to this they are highly sought after and a valuable antique piece. Antique roll top desks are also useful as paperwork can be stored privately. You may possibly find some unique vintage roll top desks that are equally attractive.

Early 19thC Antique Desks

During the Victorian period and early 19thC quality woods were more easily available. Due to this veneers were cut thicker meaning they tended to have nice figuring and even the drawers and their linings were made of expensive woods such as cedar, oak and mahogany.

In particular a mahogany antique desk will fetch a high price due to its strength and durability. Also of note is an antique desk with its original leather writing surface, these surfaces are a rarity and are in demand by antique collectors.

The majority of antique desks may have been subject to restoration work but this need not deter you from purchasing such a piece, as long as the work carried out is in keeping and sympathetic to the antique desks style.

An antique desk sits beautifully in the home, its impact dependant on its size, from a stately heavy larger desk to a delicate Victorian flat desk. They tell a story in themselves with their unique locks, partitions, drawers, cubbyholes, pigeonholes, inkwells and carvings. The marks and signs of usage on an antique desk is just an added feature of the charm.

A magnificent example of a sympathetically restored early 1900s rosewood writing desk retaining many original features In the Sheriton Revivalist style there is a new tooled leather inset writing surface

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